The Lincolnshire Bird Club

The first windless day for some time was ideal for ringing at one of the Mid-Lincs Ringing Group more exposed site on top of the Wolds near Stenigot. Andy Chappell had put down some corn on the headlands on the edge of stubble so the nets were placed between the bait and field side hedge. In no particular order the following birds were ringed (re-traps are in brackets).

Robin 1 (1)
Blackbird 3
L t Tit. 2
Blue Tit. 7(1)
Great Tit 2(1)
Starling 1
House Sparrow 2
Tree Sparrow 34(3)
Chaffinch 27(4)
Goldfinch 3(1)
Greenfinch 16
Brambling 1
Yellowhammer 39(1)
Reed Bunting 9
Corn Bunting 12.

159 birds were ringed and 12 re-trapped. We estimated that the finch and bunting totals were about a third of birds present.

Good to see the numbers of corn and yellow bunting Stuart is the area you ringed on the David Dennis organic farm ?

regards John

Thanks, John - I've replied by Private Message.
Stuart

Interesting the different mix of birds. At our baited area on Bourne South Fen, finches are notable by their absence, though we have good numbers of buntings. Like Stuart we have been waiting for a windless day to catch and ring birds on the exposed fen and today was the first real opportunity, with some success with 172 birds ringed and 40 retrapped. The number ringed (and retrapped) are shown below:-

Woodpigeon 1
Stock Dove 1
G S Woodpecker 1
Dunnock 0 (2)
Blackbird 3
Blue Tit 3 (4)
Great Tit 4
Greenfinch 1
Goldfinch 15 (4)
Chaffinch 4 (1)
Reed Bunting 94 (17 including 8 ringed in early 2012)
Yellowhammer 45 (12 including 3 ringed in early 2012)

Normally we would expect good numbers of Chaffinches and Greenfinches - so where are they?

today there were around 80 Corn Buntings around, but we very rarely catch these as they seem to prefer to feed out in the open fields.

Alan

Morning Alan,
I think the reason that there is a wider variety of birds at Stenigot than Bourne Fen is that there are half a dozen cottages within 600 yards of the site, several of which have garden feeder sites. This may account for the presence of the Sparrows in particular.
Stuart